


The Otherside

by MurderOfCrowss



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Beta Read, But honestly I don't know, Choking, Crossing over to another realm, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dominant Kylo Ren, Doubt it will be a Dark HEA, F/M, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Kidnapping, Kylo isn't evil, More tags to follow as plot progresses, Possessive Kylo Ren, Rey agreed to get married, Rey's got a backbone, Soulmates, Tagging non/con because I really don't know what lines I'm going to cross, Things are not as they seem, alternative universe, but not really, fae, imbalance of power, tagging that to be safe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:01:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28708605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurderOfCrowss/pseuds/MurderOfCrowss
Summary: Rey was perfectly happy to be nobody special. Until the day she agrees to marry a strange man, in exchange for a woman she barely knows life. To be fair, she didn't expect Kylo to fulfill his end of the bargain. Now she's in a world that storybooks are made of. Oracles, prophecies, and a place where having a unicorn in your lawn is nothing to bat an eye at, Rey must navigate through this otherside, if she has any hope of finding a way back home.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 22
Kudos: 49





	The Otherside

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't finished--fair warning--and will not be a short story. I will update on Mondays. However until I finish A Lion's Roar, it could be every other Monday. 
> 
> Also, I made up the drug Soma in this chapter.

A woman’s screams made me come to a halt. 

The bike path was empty. I was alone, which usually wasn’t a big deal. The trail was safe, accidents were rare, and there were normally hikers and fellow bikers to pass while I took the flat path. This was Jakku, Montana, home of the legendary Chewbacca (Bigfoot's cousin); our crime rate was non-existent.

The trees were loud, rustling as I tried to hear any further noise. It was the end of September, and what leaves were not on the branches were dull, turning brown on the ground. Every gust of wind made them scatter, and they did so now, swirling from the top and bottom in what I would normally think of as picturesque. 

Another scream.

It sounded close. The echoes were coming from everywhere and nowhere. I leaned on my right leg and faintly heard the sound of water. There was a path to the river. I rarely took it because I biked to keep in shape, and the trail was mostly for kayakers and people that wanted to find a good spot for a picnic. 

Morning kayaker in distress could be a real possibility. 

_ Please be somewhere I can help you.  _ It’s rapids, not ankle-deep water; I couldn’t just jump in and save someone, no matter how strong a swimmer I was. The trail was downhill, but bumpy. I gripped my handles hard as I hit a deep rut. 

I was so busy looking at the river at first, I didn’t even see her. It scared the shit out of me when I did. She wasn’t in the water, but partially out, clinging to a low, overhang branch. Jesus.  _ If I can get to her in time, I think I can save her. _

Dropping my bike the instant I was a hundred feet from her, I ran the short distance. She was young, my age, maybe 20, with red hair matted to her face, and her lips were blue. When she saw me, I could tell she was terrified. 

“Stay away.”

Not the response I was expecting. Maybe it was the cold, or maybe I had misheard her. 

“Here; take my hand.”

To my horror, she started to back further away from me.  _ What the hell?  _ Another idea occurred to me. 

“Are you trying to die?” 

I was blunt, because frankly, there’s no time to be otherwise. 

She looked past me, her eyes searching. It made me nervous. I looked over my shoulder. Was she in the water because of an attack, running from something?

“I’m Rey. I’m here to help you.”

“You--you stay away.”

“Let me help you.  _ Please. _ I’m sure you have a family who will miss you.”

“I don’t want to marry him.”

She adjusted her arm, and I saw the white under the water. A wedding dress. It trailed like a mermaid tail. A bride? Could this day get any weirder?

She’s small, thin boned, probably weighed a little over a hundred, but that wedding dress added another hundred pounds. How on earth did she even end up there? It’s eight in the morning. This was going to make for an interesting story, and probably the evening news.

“Okay. You don’t have to marry him. Whoever he is. Let’s get you out. Safe.”

“If he finds me…”

“He’s not going to. Promise. I have a car. We’ll go to the hospital. Or police. Wherever you want.”

Her eyes studied me, really seeing me for the first time. After a minute, she attempted to come my way, but she struggled, her head almost going under. 

I grabbed her arm and hauled her to safety. Her skin was ice. I couldn’t be gentle, but I think she was too cold to care.

My fingers were numb, but I helped tear her out of the doomed gown the moment we were both lying on solid ground. She was wearing a bra and underwear, white like her dress. Against her pale skin, the color almost matched her skin tone. 

I had a light jacket on. It wouldn’t keep the hypothermia at bay, but I put it on her. We needed to go back to my car. We’re close, less than a mile. She would have to walk. Her knees were bloody, and she had scrapes all over. But I didn’t see anything serious.

“Can you walk?”

She pushed up, trying, and half made it before she crumpled. I’d have to leave my bike. I helped her, using my body like a crutch, and it worked. But she leaned heavily, too weak to do more than shuffle small steps.

“What’s your name?”

“Candy.”

“That’s sweet.” It was an unintended, bad pun, and I grimaced, but she didn’t say anything. I wonder if it was the cold or if she didn’t want to talk.

“I could drive you to a woman’s shelter after you get checked out if you want.”

“I-I want to go home.” Her shoulders shuddered, and I realized she was crying. 

“Of course. Do you have parents?”

That makes her shoulders shudder harder. 

“Hey, we’ll get you there. You don’t have to get married.”  _ Or throw yourself in a river.  _ But I don’t tell her that.

She’s so cold that I started to worry when her shivering stopped. She only had one shoe on, a flat slipper. It started to catch on the ground, making her stumble, slowing us further. 

I was going to school to be a pharmacist, so I had enough medical knowledge to realize she was going into shock. We were half-way there. I could run to my car and back in less than ten. I had blankets in my car, and more importantly, my cell-phone would get reception. 

I helped her lay down. Shit. Leaving her even for a short time was a risk. “I’ll be back,” I promised, squeezing her hand. “Try and stay awake.”

I can see the fear is back. “Hurry.”

The trail was flat. I sprinted. I made record time until I was almost there, and I remembered my car key was in my jacket. The stupidity was overwhelming.  _ Do I go back? No. I’ll break a window. _ It was a beater with a heater, and I didn’t have the funds to replace the window, but I also couldn’t live with myself if that’s what cost this girl her life. 

The small dirt clearing that was a make-shift parking lot for hikers and bikers like me wasn’t empty. A truck was next to my Nova. It was running. Hope flared up, and I saw two people in the cab, a woman and man. 

“Hey,” I yelled, waving my arms. “Hey, I need help.”

The driver stepped out, the man. He was tall with dark, black hair and pale skin. The passenger exited; she had the same dark hair, but that was where the similarities ended. She smiled, but he didn't. 

“You okay?” the woman asked, walking toward me. The man stayed where he was, and I wondered if he was being cautious. 

“I’ve got someone hurt; they need a medic. My car is locked. Do you have blankets?”

“I do.” The woman pulled out a phone from her back pocket. “I’ll call 9-1-1.”

“Thanks. She almost drowned. She’s in shock and--”

“I’ll go with you.”

The man finally stepped forward. He wasn’t dressed right. Probably from the city. He was wearing jeans, penny loafers, and a dress shirt. He looked more apt to do my taxes than start running with me. 

I could hear the woman talking on the phone, giving our location. She gave me the thumbs up and smiled.

“I have blankets,” the woman said once her phone was tucked away. “I’m Rose; this is Brother Kylo.”

Brother Kylo? I must have misheard. The way she introduced him sounded like he was a priest. 

“Sleeping bags…” Rose corrected herself, going to the back of the four-door cab. 

Kylo didn’t talk but took both the bags, starting toward me. He was older, maybe 30, but it was hard to tell. I was scared I’d wasted enough time. I needed to get back. 

He lifted the bag, and I could tell when his shirt pulled against his chest that there was power in his build. I looked at his shoes again. I couldn’t figure out why he’d wear something so terribly inappropriate. Had he never gone hiking? Rose at least had white walking shoes on.

“I’m going to run,” I said, holding out my hand for a sleeping bag. “I’ll take one to keep her warm ‘til you catch up.”

His hazel-brown eyes met mine, and I found, to my surprise, humor in them.

“When  _ you _ catch up.” He kicked his shoes off. “We’ll help her together.”

He took off. I gawked because I was not expecting it. Or expecting him to move that fast. 

Rose gave me a shrug. For a minute, I was torn between staying and going, but I had promised Candy I would come back. Kylo had a good 30 second head-start. I followed the trail, finding he was nowhere in sight. I was not slow by any means, and it was hard to believe I was being beaten by a guy in socks. I could see his footprints in the dirt; he was hitting the earth so hard, some spots had noticeable divots. I hoped he didn’t sprain an ankle. I couldn’t carry him, that was for sure.

My lungs were burning when I finally spotted them up ahead. He was leaning over her, but the sleeping bag was still rolled up.  _ What the hell? Get her warm. _ It was then that I realized he was doing chest compression. 

_ No _ . I didn’t think she was that bad. Cold, but not on death’s door. Kylo delivered two rescue breaths and started again. When I made it to him, he shook his head.

We’re an hour away from the nearest hospital. Maybe they’ll fly a helicopter in. I took over breaths, and we worked on her for five minutes until he told me to halt so we could check for a pulse.

Nothing.

“I’m sorry, but the best we can do is get her body back to the truck.” Kylo’s voice was calm. “She was dead when I arrived.”

“I shouldn’t have left her,” I choked out. I had just met her, but I had felt an affinity to her as if she was my responsibility. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’ll carry her,” he said, kindly. “It’s not your fault.”

Her blue eyes were fixed and dilated. I knew enough by the way her body was postured that saving her was no longer possible. I was about to agree when I noticed her neck. 

Purple coloring blotched it. It was faint, but I knew it shouldn’t be there. My heart knocked hard.

“I’ll run back,” I said, wondering if he could hear the quiver. “Let your sister know.”

“Help me get her into the sleeping bag; we can carry her back together.” Kylo grabbed for the bag, his expression the same, making me think he hadn’t picked up on my fear.

_ Do I just run? _ He would know then.  _ Play it cool. _ I took a deep breath and rubbed my face with both hands. “Okay.” 

I unzipped the bag, watching his movement. I was shaking badly.  _ Please let him chalk it up to the aftermath of Candy’s death. _ He did most of the work, and a minute later, Candy’s face disappeared as he drew the zipper shut.

“Pity, poor girl. Do you know her?” Kylo asked, not lifting the bag like I’d hoped.

“No,” I answered. 

“Did she tell you her name?”

“No,” I lied.

“You out here alone?”

The hairs on my neck stood up. “My husband’s going to meet me here soon with his friends.” It was a shitty ass lie, and when Kylo smiled, my stomach dropped.

“Sure.” He was crouched down but didn’t grab the bag. Instead, he smoothed his palm over it from top to bottom. Affectionate. I knew then who he was.

“You’re her husband,” I whispered.

“Fiancé,” Kylo corrected. “I was going to put a ring on her hand. Such a pretty girl. Rolled out of the truck. Couldn’t believe it when she managed to cross the highway and make it to the river. I’d hoped to circumvent her, catch her as she floated down.” 

The ruse between us was gone. I backed away. He hadn’t moved from his crouch. He absently caressed the silky material of the sleeping bag, patting it.

“Only knew her a week. Rose found her passing out pamphlets door to door.”

“You murdered her…”

“No.” His eyes held affection toward the body. “Gave her peace. She wasn’t meant to be my wife.” He rose slowly, drawing himself up with an expression that left little doubt he meant to deal with me.

“I have a husband and kids…”  _ Did that lie ever work?  _ I pleaded the words again and again. His smile was compassionate, even as his hand reached for something in his pants pocket.

_ Fuck, does he have a gun? _ I flinched until I saw him draw out a hypodermic needle. I could tell from a distance it was full. Of what, I was not sure.

“Wait.”

“Few hours’ sleep won’t hurt you.”

“What’s in it?”

“Soma.”

He would tackle me and give it to me anyway. I wanted to run, but I also didn’t want him to kill me accidently.

“I almost died during a wisdom teeth extraction,” I said, quickly, trying to get my message out before he just decided to jab me with the needle. “The normal dose decreased my respirations to the point I stopped breathing. They gave me Narcan and brought me out.”

I could see a flicker of impatience at my story, so I pointed to the syringe. “If you give me that, I will die.”

His eyes searched my own. “I have to sedate you. Or, I’ll have to knock you out…”

Practical.  _ Get out of this alive. Deal with crazy later. _ “I weigh 114 pounds. The correct dose of Soma for my body weight should be (I did some fast mental calculations) 3 cc. So, give me half.”

“You know this?”

“I’m going to pharmaceutical school...”

He waggled the needle. “Good to know.” Then, he squirted out the dose, exactly to my specs.

“I’d come willingly,” I blurted out.

“I imagine being tucked into a sleeping bag will get claustrophobic. There are other reasons, but now isn’t the time to explain.” He walked toward me.

“Don’t you want to wait ‘til the truck? I could help you carry the body.”

“Delaying it won’t stop it.”

“I won’t run; I promise.”

“You’ll have to forgive my doubt.”

I stood my ground.  _ Don’t run. Reason. _

“It’s practical. If you're carrying a body and me, you can’t watch my airway.” I honestly didn’t think it would work. 

“So be it.” He capped the needle, putting it away. 

I’d bought myself a little time. We lapsed into silence as he gently scooped the body up. It was sickening the way he was taking pains with her, treating her as precious as he shifted her in his arms. God, I hoped she was unconscious when he found her. He was a monster, pretending to be human.

I expected we’d head into the brush or even back to the parking lot, but instead, we moved toward the river.

“What are we doing?”

“The water will carry her body down,” Kylo said. “Law enforcement will find it tonight or in a few days. It won’t matter.”

“We could just leave her here?”

“She chose the water.”

_ She didn’t choose the water; she tried to choose freedom.  _ The words almost came out, but instead, I kept the conversation pointed. “You only knew her a week, and you were going to marry her?”

“The oracle instructed me.”

_ Voices in his head or real?  _ “The oracle? The girl named Rose?”

“No.”

“Are you religious?”  _ What’s the name of your cult? _

His lips twitched down. “Spiritual would be a better word.”

“Do you live in a commune nearby?”  _ How far are we going to travel? _

“We live on the other side of the line.”

Ambiguous. Great. I couldn’t tell if he was being funny or serious. The trail started sloping down. We’d probably be there in a few minutes. 

“Do you live off the land?”  _ Do you have electronics and cell phones? _

“You’re intelligent. You ask a simple question to gain an advantage.” He arched a brow, showing me he saw through my question. “It is better than begging. I wish Candy could have been happy, but the crying was nerve-wracking.”

“She was afraid,” I said, unable to not defend the dead woman. “She didn’t deserve this.”

_ Shut up, Rey _ . He’d strangled the woman in his arms, and it wasn’t too late for him to decide to do the same to me. The trail narrowed, and we were almost shoulder to shoulder. The sleeping bag kept me from seeing her, and maybe that’s why my cheeks were dry. It didn’t seem real yet.

“I cannot sway fate. Her death was out of my hands.”

“You strangled her with your bare  _ hands _ . That’s not fate; that’s murder.”

He stopped. 

_ Shit. I should run. _

“You wish her to live?”

The tone wasn’t reproachful or angry but curious. Something weird was going on in his brain. Mentally ill, maybe? I wasn’t sure how to proceed, but I decided to go with extreme caution. “Yes. But it’s too late; you killed her.”

“It is usually given after, but it is customary for the groom to offer one wish. I could extend it early,” Kylo said thoughtfully.

His lingo was silver-tongued. I had trouble understanding all the layers behind it. “What wish?”

“You wish for Candy to live.” He enunciated the words as if I was the one who lacked wits. “Is that your wish?”

“You would bring her back to life?” I tried to make my voice serious, careful not to mock.

“Yes.” He saw my disbelief. “If I give you this, it will tie you to me like a vow.”

The girl was dead. What if I could turn this offer to my advantage...? I didn’t have many options.

“Wager?” I didn’t know if it would work or not, but maybe this lunatic had an honor system. “If you bring her back, I will accept your offer. If you can’t, you let me go free-- _ alive _ and free,” I clarified.

He studied the landscape. “There is a clearing behind you. It will not take long.”

The area he was talking about was the popular spot for picnics. I could even see the campfire spots and a few charred logs. “Alright,” I agreed.

I couldn’t imagine it was comfortable in his socks as he walked through it. Pinecones littered everywhere, and they hurt like a nettle to step on. I was crunching them under my shoes as we stepped into the thick of it.

Carefully, he knelt down, clearing the debris around the spot before setting the sleeping bag on the ground. I had planned to stay standing, but he gestured for me to take a spot. Reluctantly, I did, finding the earth cool underneath me. 

I wondered if he’d chant. If I could keep him occupied, there was a good chance other people would show up. Fish and Game tended to frequent this location in the morning. I wouldn’t try to run ‘til I absolutely had to. 

“Should I do anything?” I was trying not to make it noticeable as I checked our surroundings. 

“Wear this.” Kylo dug into his pocket, producing a gold band with inscriptions on it. 

I took it, finding I couldn’t read the language. Was this some  _ Lord of the Rings _ knock-off trinket? I decided to forgo asking what hobby shop he stole it from.

“Sure.” I guessed he wanted it on the ring finger. The way his eyes lit up told me he was delighted with my correct choice as I slid it on. “Now what?”

I shivered, the lack of movements making my core temperature drop. My long-sleeved shirt had dried, but the sun wasn’t warm enough to make it comfortable. I picked at grass blades absently.

He unzipped the bag. It was still a shock to see her, even though I had mentally braced myself for this moment. Dead as she was, the worst of rigor mortis had not started. Besides her vacant expression and pale lips parted slightly, she was the same. 

I glanced up at the river where her wedding dress had been discarded. It was already covered with leaves. My bike was there, too. If I could swing on it, I might have a chance. 

“I need you to say it,” Kylo said, drawing my attention back. “The wish.”

_ Oh, right. Keep playing. _ I wondered if Rose, who was still in the parking lot, was this delusional. Probably. Who knew what she was doing while we were having some pretend, raise-the-dead theatrics.

“I wish--” I glanced down at Candy, and the words caught in my throat.  _ I wish you’d never met this crazy fucker. I wish I had never left you alone. I wish you would’ve been able to see your family. _ “I wish for you to take back what you took so violently: her life.” 

I could tell he wasn’t happy with my wording, but he didn’t comment, instead placing a hand on her chest. I noticed he wore a ring that matched mine.

“What’s your name?” he asked me. “Your full name.”

“Rey Noel Niima.”

“Rings like a bell,” he complimented me.

I couldn’t bring myself to acknowledge it while his hand rested on his latest murder victim. After a second, he broke his gaze from me and looked down fondly at Candy's face. I wanted to vomit with how much adoration was packed in that moment. He truly cared about her, but that didn’t stop him from wrapping his hands around her neck.

“Rey Noel Niima, I honor your wish as a promise of our union. Let no man, spirit, or Fae separate us.”

“Amen,” I muttered, not sure what else to say when he glanced at me for confirmation. I was pretty sure we were going to be waiting for his miracle for a while.

A breeze, sharp and strong, picked up. It was a coincidence, I thought, until I heard the titter of voices. The river roared, waves too big to be natural riding up. My hand burned, and when I stared down at it in horror, the middle of the ring was moving. No, that wasn’t right. The letters were spinning round and round.

My hair whipped around my face, sticking in my mouth, and I pulled at it, trying to decide if I should run. The idea of a supernatural element was too much for me to play it cool. But as I half-rose, I heard a cough.

Candy’s glassy eyes were gone; they were full of life. The wind died down, and the river returned to normal. She gasped and coughed once more before she looked at me.

“Rey?”

I was glad she saw me first. Her eyes grew frightened, no doubt remembering her last moments of being choked to death. None of it made sense, but that didn’t matter in that second because she was alive. 

I don’t know if she saw Kylo before the needle was buried in her arm. It happened so fast that her mouth was still trying to say my name again when the drug hit her. 

“No--”

“Bag will keep her warm ‘til she wakes,” Kylo said as Candy’s head lolled to the side. He zipped it up but made no move to touch her further. He was on his feet before I realized I should be escaping.

“How--” I couldn’t even formulate a sentence.

Kylo reached for me, drawing me up. I was in shock, so much that I didn’t think twice when I was facing the wrong direction. My back pressed against his chest. My hand ached, and I tugged on the ring absently, finding it wouldn’t come off.  _ Why won’t it come off? _ It had fit loosely. His arms moved around my waist, trapping me, and he pressed his face against my cheek. Warm breath.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you, but we have to cross the line. You can’t be awake.”

“Cross the line?”

His hand gripped my throat, pressing tight, taking the air from my lungs. He was talking to me, calming me as I kicked, fighting, trying to draw a good breath. Consciousness was being dragged from me. The world spotted, and I went limp, unable to struggle further. 

My last thought was what the hell had I gotten myself into, and what was on the other side.


End file.
